A History of Hong Kong Through Small Relics

When it comes to Hong Kong heritage, most of us think of colonial buildings, large-scale monuments and the Star Ferry. But actually, tiny historical oddities can be found just about anywhere—if you know what you’re looking for. Here are some of the stories behind the more humble and low-key yet still fascinating Hong Kong oddments that have survived the city’s dramatic changes throughout the decades.

Post of the Past

Despite being repainted in green and purple, old postboxes are one of the more obvious reminders of Hong Kong’s colonial past. Fortunately for us, a number of historic postboxes are still in use today—59, to be exact.

These old postboxes were manufactured in different ages and had a variety of designs. The oldest were churned out during King George V’s rule—and they have been in use for at least seven decades. Currently, there are seven King George V postboxes in the city: three of them are pillar boxes, with the remainders set into walls. Hong Kong’s colonial postboxes have different designs from the ones in the United Kingdom, so preservationists think it’s quite possible that these postboxes are unique in the world.

It’s probably unsurprising, then, that colonial postboxes are objects of interest for history buffs. In Hong Kong, there is a voluntary search team that does inspections of these postboxes. Members visit the postboxes, check their condition and take pictures. If they find any defects or problems with the postboxes, they write letters to the relevant departments and urge further action.

“In 2009, I joked with my friends that we should start a search team for old postboxes,” says Sin Wai-man, the founder of the postbox search team. “In 2010, I went hiking in Lamma Island and I walked past Sok Kwu Wan and saw [a King George V postbox] which was in poor shape. In 2009, the postbox was still fine, but it seemed that officials wanted to demolish it. Like a typical Hongkonger, I didn’t think of doing anything in the beginning. But then, I changed my mind and wrote letters to newspapers. The letter was published in the South China Morning Post, and I got a reply from the government.” A spokesperson of the Hongkong Post told Sin that it was beyond repair because the inside of the postbox was too rusted. But later, the Conservancy Association got in touch with Sin and followed up on the matter. In the end, the Architectural Services Department restored the King George V postbox. This came as a wake-up call for Sin and his friends, and they realized that their efforts could actually help the preservation of historic postboxes.

Over the years, preservation has become a priority in Hong Kong, and the colonial postboxes are recognized as part of our heritage. Sin has also witnessed the improvement of the government’s attitude towards the postboxes. “In 2011, a citizen sent us an email. He suspected that a Queen Elizabeth II postbox in Hing Man Estate, Chai Wan would be demolished because the postbox was wrapped with plastic,” Sin says. “A spokeswoman from the Hongkong Post told me off-record that the postbox had been crushed by a car, as it was very close to a car park. She told me that the staff of Hongkong Post were worried that the postbox would collapse and injure people. In the end, she said the postbox could not be restored, but they managed to place another Queen Elizabeth II postbox on the spot because they had some spare vintage postboxes in their warehouse.”